Shoe construction



Nov. 5, 1946. J. Q. STRONG SHOE CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Jail, 21, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 8 INVENTOR 'J.Q STRONG ATTORNEY Nov. 5, 1946. J. Q. STRONG SHOE CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Jan. 21

INVENTOR JQ. STRONG BY fox W ATTORNEY Q Patented Nov. 5, 1946 snon CONSTRUCTION Jules Q. Strong, Ladue, Mo.,'assignor of fifty-five per cent to C. W. Mathieson, Sedalia, Mo., and fifteen per cent to P. H. Lamphere, Denver, 0010.

Original application January 21, 1942, Serial No. 427,571. Divided and this application August 2, 1944, Serial No. 547,678

9 Claims. (Cl. 3630) This application is a divisional application of my co-pending application, Serial No. 427,571, filed January 21, 1942, for Shoe construction, which application matured. into Patent No. 2,362,169 on November 7, 1944. My invention relates to shoe construction, and more particularly to a cushion mean-s for embodying in a shoe.

One of the objects of my invention is to produce an improved cushioning means for the sole of a shoe which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture and embody in the shoe and which is so constructed that it can be embodied in any shoe regardless of the lasting method used in the shoe construction.

Another object of my invention is to construct a cushioning means for a shoe which will embody as a unitary assembly a resilient member, a retaining means or shoulder laterally surrounding the resilient member, and a sock lining portion.

Still another object of my invention is to so construct a unitary assembly for use in shoe manufacture that it will embody both a resilient member and a' sock lining which can be employed either as a combined platform and insole in certain types of construction or as an insole only in other types of construction.

Yet another object of my invention is to construct a unitary assembly for use in a shoe construction which will embody a resilient memb 'er, a retaining means, and a sock lining so associated with each other that the retaining means can be made from a plurality of pieces instead of a single Piece havi g a cut-out portion for receiving the resilient member, thus resulting in a saving in material and a low cost of manufacture.

Another object of my invention is to so combine a resilient member and sock lining for a shoe that they can be employed as a platform to produce an improved stitch-down or equivalent type of shoe.

Other objects of my invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a bottom View showing the unitary assembly embodying my invention and including the resilient member, the retaining means or shoulder, and the sock linin ortion; Figure 2 is a top view of the unitary assembly; Figure 3 is a view showing the construction of the resilient member and the retaining strips forming the shoulder; Figure 4 is a view of the sock liningportion prior to assembly; Figure 5 is a side view of a shoe showing the manner in "which the unitary assembly can be embodied in one type of completed shoe; Figure 6 is a top view of the toe end of the shoe of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a sectional View taken on the line'l-I of Figure 5; Figure 8 is a sectional view similar to Figure 7 showing a slightly different shoe construction wherein the out-sole is glued to the unitary assembly embodying the resilient member; Figure9 is another sectional view similar to Figure 7 but showing the unitary assembly used as an insole; Figure 10 is a sectional view showing a modified unitary assembly; Figure 11 is a view showing a modified arrangement of the resilient member and retaining means or shoulder strips; and Figure 12 is a sectional view of a, shoe constructed similar to that of Figure 8 but having an extra thick platform.

. Referring to the drawings and first to Figures 1 to l, inclusive, the numeral l indicates a resilient member which may be made from rubber, cork, felt or any other material giving the proper cushioning function desired. As shown, the shape of this resilient member is similar to that of the ole of a shoe but slightly narrower and shorter. Such a shape will give a cushioning effect for the entire foot.

In surrounding relation to the resilient member is-a retaining means or shoulder shown as comprising two strips 2 and 3. The inner edges of these strips are shaped to fit the marginal edge of the resilientmember and the outer edges are shaped to give the proper contour depending upon how the assembly is to be embodied in the-finished shoe; The material from which these strips are made must be one having a firm body and also fairly non-resilient but capable of some flexing. Types of material which may be employed are leather, pressed paper, cardboard, prepared material commonly used for insoles, or other like material; The purpose of the retaining means is to prevent spreading of the resilient material and to also produce a marginal portion having such body that other material suchas the upper of the shoe or the outer sole may be attached thereto as by stitching, lacing, nailing or gluing. I have shown only two strips as comprising the retaining means or shoulder but more may be employed, such being indicated by the dotted lines in Figure -.3.- It is also possible to employ a single integral piece as the retaining means or shoulder and such use is intended to come Within the scope ofcertain features of my invention, but I prefer to'employ several pieces as such results in econreplaced by the resilient material would be wasted. The thickness of the strips may be the same as that of the resilient material or slightly thinner or greater as circumstances warrant.

Associatedwith the strips and the resilient memberis a thin sheet of material "4 which is em p yed to hold the strips and the resilient member together to produce a unitary construction and also prevent the spreading or lateral separating of the resilient member and the strips.

This thin sheet of material also takes the place of the sock lining in the finished shoe. The inaterial employed for the thin sheetmay'be leather, cloth or any material which does not stretch,

The shape of the sheet is similart that oi the resilient member and the strips wh'enthe latter are placed around said resilient member but is larger so that the marginal edge projects beyond the strips. The sheet is shown in Figure i. The resilientmember and strips, as shown in Figure 3, are placed on this sheetand secured thereto and to'eachother by a suitable -glueor=cement. The marginal portions of the sheet are then folded over the edgesof the strips and-glued, cemented or stitched $011 6 Strips on their faces opposite that adjacent the sheet. Tofacilitate the folding operationahd to makea smooth securingjob, the marginal portionof the sheet is provided with suitable cuts as shown. The bottom of the resulting assembly iszzshown in Figure 1 and the topin Figure 2. The top isismooth. When the unitary assembly,;'generally indicated by numeral fiyis'embodi'ed in ;the"ifinishedrsh0e, it'is next to the foot of the wearer.. Thus with this smooth top surface 210- extra sock-lining need-be inserted after. the shoe isfihished. Although the re'silient member isshownaas extending from one end 'to thejother of the unitary assr'nblyyit may be of this manner the unitary assembly becomes a plat form for the foot as the foot will rest upon the top smooth surface of the unitary member. No sock lining is required as the sheet of thin material covering the retaining strips and the yieldable member acts as the sock lining. There is no possibility of the resilient material of the resilient member from spreading outwardly as less length. If only the. forwardlpa rt'of the foot isd'esiredt'o'be cushioned, theheel portion of the resilient memberniiayb'e r'eplaced by other material or'ith'e strips so cut astotake its'place. Also, the central part of the resilientf'material 'may be replaced by other :firmer ina'terial if desired; 'In

Figure '11 there isshown amodified arrangement wherein the resilient member 'is' onlyemployed to" cushion the "forwardfp'art oftthe foot and the retaining strips ETand 3' areso' cut astoreplace theheerportion. This construction also has its 'adyalntags whenit"is'desired toattach heels by nailing as the stfipspre'sent a better material to receiye'thenails. 5 5 V l H Referring nowto-Figures i'll and 7, there is disclosed ashoe ini'whichisembodied' the unitary assembly "just described and shown in Figu es 1 and 4. l'his-type of -shoe is a sport infidel which has an 'open toe and 'neel but it isto be understood that thisshowiiig is byway or example'om 'as tlie use of the un tar asser'nblyisnot limited to any particular type or shoe. The 'shoe comprises an uppers, theunitaiy'assembiy 6; an outsolel; and a hen -s. @In assembli'rigthe shoe the bottom 'merginar pdrtinfof the upper ma be glued to the; marginal portion ot the top side of'the unitary as sehibly which embodiesthe resilier'it 'meinber. Following this the outsole is spotted 'to"the-'bottom-="side 'of the unitaryassembly. The neirt operation is tostitch jtoge'ther'the outer marginal. portion of the'upperfth'e' unitary member, and theoutsole'by the stitching 9. The upper is thus fastened to the unitarymember and the 'outsole by what is termed a stitch-down process. ,After this "stitching operation, the heel is then fastened to therear endyof the outsole. It is thus seen that with the shoe constructed in the non-yieldable strips and the enclosing sheet :1 preifentsuch spreading, The resilient member is confined between the shoulder strips and also between the sheet i and the outsole l. The entire team of the foot of the wearer rests upon the resilient memberand thus it is seen that there isaeushionmeans'between the foot and the outsole. The result is-a very comfortable shoe which eliminates jars to the body during walking and also makes the shoe very comfortable to stand upon, The feet thus do .not become tired as quickly as would be the case if no cushioning means were-employed. Since the strips surrounding the yieldablemember are-made of a relatively non-yieldable material, they present a good body to which the lower marginal portion of the upper and the out-sole canbe stitched. In making the shoe of Figure 5, the-outsole maybe spotted to the bottom of the unitary assembly as the first step in the attachmentof the outsole and then the upper sewed to the combined outsole and unitary assembly. This is an important methodof assembly for it -permits the outsole to be pretrimmed and p e-inkedbefore any attachment. Thus there resultsa saying in labor as the trimming and inkinghaye previously been done after the outsole was attached to the-upper.

In Figure-8 there is-shown a-slight'modification wherein the upper*Sdsstitchedonly to the marginal portion of: the unitary assemblyfi by stitches Hi. The sole is secured to thebottomside of'the unitary assembly only by suitable; glue or cement. ue the l t rel ;fi m; ed a i dability of the strips-tend:S -thestitching of the uppertotheunitary member is permitted which would not be possible ifthesestr'ipswere not employed and the resilientmember only enclosed in the sheet 4. Inplace 10f the stitching -9 shown in ljigure 7 and the; stitching in shown in Figure @j'other securing means'mfay be employed if desired, such as, for-example, lacing, tacking, or riveting. Lacing would berparticularly adapted in the shoe construction shownin-Figure 8, especially whereit is desiredto employ-a very flexible outsole as, f9r example, in house shoesor slippers. It is also-to'be understood that the-typeof outsoleusedfis not limited to leather as 'itmay be made-of rope,rubber,; and so forth.

InFigure Q I haije shown-a' cross-sectional View of a shoe constructiomwhereinthe unitary assembly 6 is employed as an insole for 'ashoe. In this construction the unitary -assembly isplaced uponthe last and then the upper 5 is-folded over the botton of the unitary assembly 6 and the marginaledges secured to the marginal edgestof sheet d which have already beenturnedover and glued to thebotto nedges-of strips 2 and-3 in forming the assembly 6. The outscle i isthen secured to the unitary assemblyfi in the usual mane her either by a suitable 'cernent or stitching. Thus it is seen that in this method'of shoe manuf acture, the unitary assembly fiacts as the usual insole and yet. it embodies .the yieldabl e-ncaterial uponwhich the foot-rests, There is no necessity for any sock:lining-as1this;- is taken careof by the sheet" 4 of the unitary-assembly If desired, in this construction the bottom of the unitary assembly'may have .glued thereto. a suitable shaped sheet of material II to fill in the space between the bottom of the yieldable material and the outsole, said space resulting from the inter positioning of the lower marginal portion of the upper between the bottom marginal portion of the unitary assembly 6 and the outsole. .A similar construction is shown in Figure 10 but in this instance the marginal edge of sheet l2 extends, under the folded edges of sheet 4. By the use of such a sheet as [2 the parts of the unitary member are more firmly held together asboth sheets .4 and I2 cooperate to hold the strips against the edge of the resilient material and prevent spreading Whenever pressure is placed on the resilient member. Thissheet I2 may also be useful in assembling the resilient member and the strips as they can first be glued to such sheet. When the member and strips are so held together, the addition of the sheet 4 is facilitated as the positioning of. the member and strip on sheet 4 is easier when held together than when they are separate pieces.

In all of the shoe constructions shown, if a shank piece is desired, it may be riveted in the usual manner to the inner surface of the outsole.

In Figure 12 is shown a sectional view of a shoe having a thick platform and embodying the unitary assembly 6". The strips 2 and 3 are made of considerably thicker material than the resilient member I. Below the resilient member is positioned a filler member 13 of any suitable material, said member being cemented, glued, or otherwise attached to the resilient member. The sheet i" holds the strips and resilient member together. The rest of the shoe construction is the same as shown in Figure 8 except that the outsole 1" may be thinner. The upper 5 is stitched to the unitary assembly by stitches Iii". When the strips 2" and 3" are thick, their fiexibility may not be as great as desired, especially over that portion below the ball of the foot but this can be remedied by putting crosscuts in the material of the strips,

From the foregoing description of my invention it is seen that there is combined in one assembly a cushioning agent, a sock lining, and a platform or insole structure. This single unit can be embodied in the shoe by one operation regardless of the shoe construction employed. The unit thus results in considerable saving in cost of manufacture. Also, by the use of strips to form the shoulder for the resilient member, many pieces can be employed which would otherwise be wasted material in cutting or dieing.

Being aware of the possibility of modifications in the particular structure herein described without departing from the fundamental principles of my invention, I do not intend that its scope be limited except as set forth by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cushioning construction for use as a foundation means in shoes and upon which the foot of the wearer rests, said construction comprising a sheet of resilient material, shoulder means surrounding the perimeter of said material and abutting the edges thereof for preventing spreading of said material when compressed, said shoulder means comprising two pieces of relatively firm and non-resilient material positioned in end-to-end relation at both the forward and rearward ends of the resilient material with the top surfaces thereof flush with the top surface of the 6 sheet ofresilient material, andv a sheet .ofnonstretchable material overlying and engaging the top surfaceiof the resilient material and having its marginal portions secured to the pieces formingthe shoulder means.

-2. In a, cushioning construction for use as a foundation means in shoes and upon which the footof the wearerlrests, said construction comprising la sheet of resilient material, shoulder means surrounding atleast the major portion of the perimeter of said material and abutting the edges thereof for preventing spreading of said. material when compressed, said means compris-- ing a pluralityof pieces of relatively firm and non-resilient material positioned in end-to-end. relation with the top surfaces thereof flush with the top surface of the sheet of resilient material, and a sheet of non-stretchable material overlying: and engaging the top surface of the resilient. material and the top'surfaces of the pieces and. having its marginal edges folded overthe outer edges of the strips and secured to the bottom surfaces of the pieces.

3. A unitary assembly for use as a platform or as a foundation insoleof a shoe comprising a flat. resilient member, a shoulder surrounding said resilient member and being composed of relatively firm and non-resilient material, said shoulder beingmade from a .plurality of strips positioned in end-to-end relation with their top surfaces flush with the top'surface-of the resilient member and having an outer .edge contour similar to 'the outsole of the shoe anda thin sheet of leather adhered to and overlying the top surfaces of the resilient member and the strips and having its marginal portions folded over the outer edges of the strips and adhered to the bottom surfaces of said strips,

4. In a shoe construction, a unitary assembly for embodiment in a shoe as a foundation means and upon which the foot of the wearer rests, said assembly comprising a fiat member of resilient material, a plurality of retaining strips surroundsaid strips being of substantially the same thick-- ness as the resilient member with the top surfaces flush with the top surface of the resilient; member and having a marginal contour similar to the outsole of a shoe, and a thin sheet of nonstretchable material secured to and overlying the top side of the resilient member and the same sides of the strips and having its marginal portion folded over the outer edges of the strips and secured to the other sides thereof.

5. In a shoe construction, a unitary assembly for embodiment in a shoe as a foundation means and upon which the foot of the wearer rests, said assembly comprising a fiat member of resilient material, retaining means surrounding the periphery of the resilient member and composed of relatively firm and non-resilient material to thereby confine the resilient material, said retaining means being of substantially the same thickness as the resilient member and having a marginal contour similar to the outsole of a shoe, and a single sheet of non-stretchable material secured to and overlying the top side of the resilient member and. the same side of the retaining means and having its marginal portion folded over the outer edge of the retaining means and secured to the bottom side thereof, and a second sheet of material secured to the bottom side of the resilient material and to; the bottom side of' th'ereta-ining means. a V I v 16 in a" cushioning "construction for uSeY- as; a roundation means in shoes and upon: wl iicht' the foot of the wearer rests, saichconstruction'comprising a sheet of resilient material for'th forward part of the foot,v shoulder'pieces'of relatively firm and non-resilient. material surrounding the resilient sheet with their top. surfaces flush with the top. surfac of} the resilientmaterial and provided with integral juxtapo'sitioned portions extending rearwardly with their ashacent, edges in abutting. "engagement. for forming the heel resting part for the "foot, and a sheet of non-stretchable material secured; to the top surfaces: of the resilient sheet and theshoulder pieces.

7. In a cushioning construction for use ass a foundation means in! shoes andupon which the foot of the w'earerrests, said construction; com prising a sheet of-resilient material forthe-forward part f the foot, shouldertpieces of relatively firm and non-resilientmaterial'surrounding: the resilient sheet with their top surfaces flush with the top surface of? the resilientmaterial': and provided with. integral. juxtapositioned portions extending rearwardly' with' their adjacent edges in abutting 'engagementfor forming the heel -resting part for the foot, and a sheet of. non-stretchable material secured to the top surfaces of: the resilient sheet "and the shoulder pieces and having its marginal portions folded overthe outer edges ofi sa-idshoulder piece and secured: to the 'bottolrr surfaces thereof.

. the resilient material and the. top surfaces of the shoulder pieces and folded over the edges of said shoulder pieces and secured to the bottom surfaces thereof.

9. A platform construction for embodying in a shoeabove the outsole of the shoe, said platform construction comprising a sheet of material, a plurality of shoulder pieces positioned around the edges of the material in end-to-end relation, said shoulder pieces being. thicker than the sheet of material, filler means below the sheet of material and lying between the shoulder pieces, and a.- sin'gle sheet of thin non-stretchable material secured'to the top surfaces of the first named sheet of material and the shoulders and having its marginal portions folded over the edges of the shoulder pieces and secured to the bottom sides thereof, said thin sheet forming the sock lining for th shoe in which the platform is embodied and also a covering for the outer edges of the platform.

JULES Qt STRONG. 

